The tenth edition of the Memar Award marked the end of a decade of the prize and prompted us to make changes to improve the quality of its organization. The acceptance of renovation projects as a separate category was the most significant change in this edition. All post-Revolution built projects in three groups — Public, Residential, and Renovation — that had not previously participated in the Memar Award were eligible to enter this year's competition and were evaluated in three separate categories. Interior architecture projects, where modifications had been made to the permanent elements of the space, were allowed to enter the Renovation category.
The second major change concerned the submission of documents. In the first phase, all participants were required to submit their documents by September 9, 2011 (18 Shahrivar 1390), in PDF format with a maximum size of 5 megabytes, via email to Memar's electronic address. Documents for 124 projects were submitted in this phase. Unfortunately, many participants did not observe the 5 MB limit, which we overlooked this year, but next year submissions exceeding 5 MB will not be accepted. Another issue was photographs and CDs and drawings — unfortunately some participants submitted images of presentation sheets instead of photographs and drawings, which were entirely unsuitable for film production.
The award's technical committee, comprising Mehdi Alizadeh and Kamran Afshar Naderi, reviewed the submitted documents and determined their adequacy or inadequacy. The absence of essential documentation components — namely photographs or plans — resulted in definitive elimination at this stage. It is worth noting that many submitted projects had complete documentation, and the deficiencies in remaining projects' documents were mainly related to design concepts and building systems information. In other words, merely announcing document review had produced a noticeable improvement in the quality of submissions compared to previous years.
Nevertheless, designers of projects with incomplete documentation were required to supplement their materials and present them in sheets. These sheets were re-examined by the technical committee. At this stage too, several projects were eliminated due to unresolved deficiencies, and ultimately 34 projects in the Renovation group, 24 projects in the Public group, and 45 projects in the Residential group — a total of 103 projects — entered the evaluation process. One project with mixed commercial-residential use was necessarily placed in the Residential group. During the judging of renovation projects, difficulties arose in defining terms, making further discussion on these matters essential. We hope to address this topic in greater detail when preparing the Memar Award 91 (God willing!).
Another change was the removal of the 100-second film from the list of required documents. Therefore, the films screened at the ceremony featuring nominated and winning projects were produced by Memar Magazine using each project's photographs.
The third major change concerned the financial support system for the award. Henceforth, the organization of the award and associated costs would remain the responsibility of the magazine, while Superpipe International Company, our longstanding partner in organizing the award, would pay the total prize money (450,000,000 rials).
Finally, the jury panel was selected to honor the memory of the early years of the Memar Award, consisting of: Mehdi Alizadeh, Seyyed Reza Hashemi, Bahram Shirdel, Kamran Afshar Naderi, and Chris Bosse, the Australian architect.
The judging method, as in previous years, consisted of multiple rounds of elimination and selection to determine semi-finalist and finalist projects and winners in all three groups. The jury was authorized to create further subcategories within each of the three groups based on the nature and character of projects (for example, apartment and villa subcategories for residential buildings). The jurors were also asked to record in writing their criteria for eliminating and selecting projects at each stage.
After the elimination and selection rounds, 7 projects in each of the Residential and Public groups and 6 projects in the Renovation group advanced to the final stage, with one additional project receiving an honorable mention. Winners and commended projects in all three groups, except for this one case, were selected from among the nominees. In the final stage — the selection of winners — discussions took place regarding the award nominees, and each juror expressed their opinion on every individual project. For this reason, the final winners table shows some differences from the initial nominee selection stage.
Prizes
In each group, the first-place prize consisted of 100 million rials in cash, the Memar 90 statuette, and a commendation plaque for the designer and client of the project; the second-place prize was 30 million rials in cash and a commendation plaque for the designer and client; and the third-place prize was 20 million rials in cash and a commendation plaque for the designer and client.
Jury Criteria
Mehdi Alizadeh
1- Macro level
- Material selection: Is it specialized, composite, or baseless?
- Design approach: Is the structural and wall design consistent with the materials?
- Programming: Is the functional programming based on the flow of current activities in the space?
2- How the project lives in the city
- The plot's participation and plan in the city, and how it operates
- Tolerance toward neighbors
- Connection of materials and the four aspects of the project's envelope with the city
- Climate, convection, rooftop use, green space
- Water supply network, sewage collection and disposal, electrical and telecommunications networks
- Common areas organization: ducts, stairs, elevators, void spaces, courtyards
Seyyed Reza Hashemi
- Relative professional maturity
- Possessing a clear — though not necessarily different — idea
- Harmony of components
- Skill in design and execution
And in the Residential group:
- Understanding the distinctive aspects of residential architecture compared to other uses
- Participation in the public fabric of the city
And regarding the Renovation group:
- Innovation and achieving balance between it and the requirements of functionality
- Creating fundamental change for new use
- Coherence and integrity
And regarding the restoration of valuable historic buildings: preservation of authenticity and quality of execution.
Bahram Shirdel
- Design within an architectural system
- Creation of an inhabitable space
- Architectural skill in design
- Structural relationship with the social context and geography of the environment
In Bahram Shirdel's view, on the whole the projects were heavily influenced by the "pseudo-modernism" current of twentieth-century Tehran architecture.
Kamran Afshar Naderi
- Relative innovation: Creating something fundamentally new is extremely difficult. Architecture needs new ideas. A new idea, like a scientific invention, is generalizable and applicable in different conditions and locations. Innovation in architecture means using new ideas in a unique form. Therefore, both the project's initial ideas and how they are given form are important. An architectural project is never entirely new and takes shape using existing elements, patterns, or ideas. By relative innovation, I mean being pioneering or inventive in design with respect to the cultural, social, spatial, and temporal context in which the project was conceived.
- Skill in design: Although having a concept in architecture is important, the ability to valorize it and remain faithful to it throughout the design process is equally important.
- Effective and positive role in execution: Some projects were distinctly shaped by the architect's efforts during construction and by creating details related to the project's concept, which is significant.
- Attention to architectural space: Space is architecture's most important component and takes priority over a beautiful facade, elaborate details, the use of expensive materials, and complex form — a space that enables people to experience life in a different and richer way and offers greater spatial potential within its boundaries.
- Understanding of place in time: A project that has a correct understanding of its spatial and temporal context.
And in the Renovation group:
The participating projects encompassed a wide spectrum of intervention in existing buildings: restoration of an ancient monument, renovation of a rural building, intervention to the point of erasing traces of the existing structure, precise surgical modifications to convert an old building into residential space without altering the building's appearance and character, interior decoration, facade renovation, and so forth. Finding a single criterion for evaluating these works is difficult, but the project's role in the social fabric of its surroundings was given attention, and less value was assigned to works that mainly focused on decoration and conformity to current fashion. Additionally, projects that primarily upgraded the existing building in terms of technical standards, materials, and functional needs received less attention. And finally, projects that had not respected the spirit of the existing building (where it had value) or made little effort to influence contemporary architectural culture were eliminated.
Regarding the Public group, I eliminated entries that posed no challenge whatsoever, demonstrated no particular skill, were designed purely with commercial taste, were clearly copies of common works, played no role in developing architectural culture, and did not establish a proper relationship with their environment and culture.
Chris Bosse
- Offering a contemporary interpretation of twenty-first-century architecture and orientation toward internationally recognizable architecture
- Identifying achievable opportunities and developing them
- Discovering common ground between tradition and twenty-first-century technology and offering fresh solutions to old problems
- Considering the sustainability of environment, space, and city, and their preservation
Jury Criteria for Selecting Winners
Residential Group
Mehdi Alizadeh
First place: Abadan Residential Apartment — The material selection, steel structure, and infill surfaces of masonry materials are uniform. The design approach for wall materials is consistent with the materials and their application. In its final plot, the project is a living addition to the city.
Second place: Kashanak Residential Complex — The material selection of steel structure and infill surfaces of facing brick is uniform. The design approach and selected materials are consistent. The plan maintains a somewhat living relationship with the city.
Third place: Nazdelkadeh Family Complex — The selection of concrete materials, color coating, and structural arrangement in the plan of all three residential units is intelligent, simple, and without disruption to functional spaces. The design approach and type of materials — slab, beam, and column — are harmonious. The layout is consistent with the structural design. The functional programming unfortunately conforms to the dying conventions of family life.
Seyyed Reza Hashemi
First place: Kashanak Residential Complex — For its very beautiful, dynamic, and intertwined massing, though somewhat dated, and the successful use of brick in its treatment, the attractive and innovative brick patterning of the interior light well, and in a word, the strength, maturity, and completeness of the composition.
Second place: Bagh Negar Residential Complex — Although it lacks innovation in overall composition like the Abadan Residential Complex, it possesses a sound, comprehensive, and well-executed design. The important point about this design is that not even the smallest space or surface has been left unattended, and it has been designed and executed with attention to every detail without excess or clutter.
Third place: Abadan Residential Apartment — For its inventive and interesting composition in the exterior massing, but unlike the Bagh Negar building, nothing noteworthy can be seen in the building's interior spaces.
Kamran Afshar Naderi
First place: Abadan Residential Apartment — The house is situated on a very small plot yet has managed to create a distinctive work. The architectural design and its concept were shaped through an entirely conscious process. Climatic considerations have been addressed and have had a serious impact on the building's form. The building's facade has been designed in a highly original manner as a three-dimensional system, and its design is related to the project as a whole. While the project has a contemporary structure and appearance, it establishes a subtle connection with the traditional architecture of southern Iran. Considering the location and the social and cultural fabric, it is a very courageous project.
Second place: Brick-Woven House — Although architectural attention is evident in the design of space and grounds, the project's outstanding and distinctive feature is its facade. The building is located in a very poor neighborhood and was built with a very limited budget. In this respect, the facade can carry an important social message: that even in these neighborhoods, architectural effort is possible with a small budget. In Iran, the wages of workers and craftsmen are relatively low, and the possibility of creating special designs at a small scale is greater than in developed countries. Despite this, many architects try to use craftsmen to create works that have an industrial appearance. In this project, local labor and craftsmanship have valorized the handwork of bricklaying. The designer made enormous effort during construction and transformed a special brick technique into a defined construction process that is entirely inventive and has facilitated the facade's execution. Brick in this project is a traditional material used in an inventive manner. The breaking of light on the facade and the placement of screens before windows is suitable for Iran's climate. The design, while simple, also possesses a kind of complexity. A relationship has been established between parts and whole: in the entrance, courtyard, facade, facade components...
Third place: Kashanak Residential Complex — A new version of a building with a brick facade that, while being contemporary, suits Iran's culture and climate. Finding solutions for the municipality's cumbersome regulations regarding land occupation. Creating a distinctive and attractive facade without encroaching on the urban landscape. Creating views and light by increasing the facade surface through fragmenting the facade skin. The building's volume has established a relationship with the density, continuity, and small-scale nature of Tehran's physical structure and therefore fits into its environment. Valorization of the patio as a distinctive architectural element.
Renovation Group
Mehdi Alizadeh
First place: Golabdarreh House — Brilliant embellishment in three aspects: material selection, design approach (preserving the existing condition), and updating the function, which has enriched the activities within the project's space.
Second place: Amir Villa — The exterior material selection is uniform, fluid, and calm. The material selection and surface arrangement of the interior has a very desirable contrast. The design approach with spacing in two sections of the plan and preserving the trees is a precious innovation. The programming benefits from a new level of both contrast and spacing of desirable activities in the space.
Third place: Lab-e Khandaq Hotel — The designer has applied good embellishment in renovating the dilapidated building. The resourcefulness of the designer and client has prevented 450 square meters of city land from being freed for yet another speculative development.
Seyyed Reza Hashemi
First place: Amir Villa — For the success in transforming an obsolete old building into an entirely new and attractive contemporary architecture for today's living, and creating a beautiful and varied composition using materials with Iranian texture and color.
Second place: Golabdarreh House — For the preservation and modernization of an elaborate, labyrinthine, and crumbling very old structure with harmonious materials and designs and graceful, unobtrusive interventions. The dominance of a functional, minimalist approach over restoration measures — which of course requires artistic vision and connoisseurship — is a renewal of the spirit of Iranian architecture.
Third place: Cheshmeh Azin Eyewear Shop — For its powerful design, using the repetition and development of a single basic structural-formal unit and designing all details with this same basic unit.
Kamran Afshar Naderi
First place: Daireh Snack Bar — Transforming a very ordinary and mundane situation into an extraordinary opportunity for architectural design. Artistic valorization of a very small and awkward space into an architectural project. Extending the project to the exterior environment. Addressing important architectural design issues such as idea diagram, form, materials, function, and relationship with the surroundings in a project of just 7 square meters.
Second place: Amir Villa — Attention to exterior space as an extension of interior spatial concepts. Achieving an attractive yet simple form. Attention to the aesthetics of vernacular architecture and employing the language of contemporary architecture. Achieving a simple yet highly effective approach to blending old and new, and its valorization in the building's interior and exterior design. Coherent relationship between part and whole.
Third place: Golabdarreh House — Attention to and revitalization of a rural building that in most cases is unfortunately subject to destruction and encroachment. Preserving the appearance and atmosphere of a building that constitutes an important element of the landscape of foothill rural fabrics. Preserving the spirit of the building in both overall and detailed aspects. Skill in controlling space and details with minimal necessary intervention.
Public Buildings Group
Mehdi Alizadeh
First place: Noor Mobin Cultural-Educational Institute — The project's simple material selection is harmonious with the structure and the facade separator panels and roof covering. The design approach is embodied in these same materials and the shed-like covering. It has transformed the project from an ordinary situation into a brilliant entity.
Second place: Pedari Guesthouse — The masonry material selection, both on the facade and inside, while avoiding combination, is entirely uniform. The project's design approach is consistent with the masonry materials. Considering function based on the flow of new life activities is reflected in the fluid and delicate exterior facade as well.
Third place: War Veterans and Disabled Sports and Cultural Complex — Uniform material selection, free from the complexities of combining structural elements. The design and selected materials, beyond creating unity in the transparent functional spaces inside and outside the building, have achieved a great success in establishing a living connection between the project and its surroundings. The programming of a sports venue's functions with innovative ramps and spatial transparency between spaces and with the exterior is a significant step beyond anything designed to date.
Seyyed Reza Hashemi
First place: Noor Mobin Cultural-Educational Institute — For its creative, powerful, pure, simple, and unpretentious design, proportionate to its function, and the use of a structure that, while employing the fewest construction details, has produced the greatest spatial and visual variety.
Second place: Pedari Guesthouse — For demonstrating the architect's artistry in arranging and composing very ordinary and even small and humble spaces in an entirely ordinary fabric with the most common and inexpensive materials, and offering a solution for modernizing the architecture of old urban fabrics in small cities.
Third place: War Veterans and Disabled Sports and Cultural Complex — For creating attractive, modern, exciting, and efficient interior spaces for disabled sports and possessing a logical and functional, well-composed architecture.
Kamran Afshar Naderi
First place: Barin Ski Lodge — Relevance to the subject and formal proximity to the mountains and snow-covered terrain. Creating an entirely new spatial experience. Connection to Iranian vernacular architecture through the use of soft forms and fluid, gentle movement from floor to ceiling. Connection to today's global architecture. A forward-looking approach. Skill in remaining faithful to the project's fundamentals in both overall and detailed aspects, including furniture design.
Second place: Mah Architecture Workshop — Attention to very fundamental and basic issues and forms in architecture. Valorization of traditional and recycled materials in a new format. Attention to multiple design issues including process, structure, construction, light, materials, details, and ornamentation in a very small project. Connection to the local building culture.
Third place: Noor Mobin Cultural-Educational Institute — Creating a form that serves as an appropriate environmental landmark in the plain surrounding Bastam. Entering a design challenge under conditions of distance from technology and budget constraints. Skill in design and the development of the project's form.
Bahram Shirdel did not select any project as a winner other than two commended projects: the Pardazesh Samaneh-ha-ye Paydar Office-Research Building and the Public Restroom.